Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Shallot Dressing and Bacon

Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash on the sheet and toss it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake it for 20 to 25 minutes or until it’s soft but not mushy. Remove the squash from the oven to cool, but leave the oven on for the croutons.

While the squash is roasting, place the bacon in a cold frying pan and turn the heat on to medium. Cook for about 8 to 12 minutes for thick cut bacon (if using thin cut, it’ll take less time), flipping over every couple of minutes. Remove the bacon from the frying pan and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside the rendered bacon fat to use on the bacon croutons later. Once the bacon has cooled, roughly chop it.

In the same oven where you roasted the squash and the same temperature, you’re going to roast the bacon croutons. Toss the cubed bread in the rendered bacon fat (or olive oil, if using instead), then arrange on a baking sheet. If your bacon isn’t that salty, you can season the bread with salt and pepper too. Bake the croutons for about 10 to 12 min or until desired crispness.

Make the vinaigrette by adding the ingredients to a high sided container and blend with an immersion blender. Taste for seasoning and sweetness (if you want it sweeter, add a bit more maple syrup). Note: alternatively, you can blend everything in a food processor, but it won’t get it as emulsified and smooth.

If your pecans aren’t already toasted, toast them in a dry pan until they begin to smell nutty, about 3 minutes.

Assemble the salad by mixing the lettuce with the roasted squash, pecans, bacon, goat cheese, and croutons. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine.